After ten years living in the U.S., I finally did a city-to-city bus ride long distance. This was on Bolt Bus – from the same folks that run the Greyhound buses but a fancier version. The route was L.A to San Jose to meet some friends for the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown on a few thoughts on that journey!

The best part of living in Hollywood is walkability. Have I mentioned that already? One of the events I was fortunate to be able to walk up to was the 2016 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, happening right down the street from where I live…about 15-20 minutes by walk, which makes for a 30 minute stroll but given the fantastic weather here, who’s complaining?! Held the weekend of 6-10, it gave me an opportunity to mix and mingle with members of the South Asian communities in L.A involved in the film and entertainment industries.

First impressionsIt was a well-attended event for sure. The Indian community and those interested in the work from the diaspora were certainly out in full force. The central location made it all the better – Arclight on Sunset Blvd is a pretty cool space to host. Grabbing a bite onsite or at any of the restaurants around the area is easy. They also had a pretty cool bar area for attendees which was fun, although I sorely missed not having any samosas and chai for the screenings – what’s a desi movie watching experience without those ingredients?